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New bill would require months sports gambling activity statement

By John Whittaker 3 min read
State Rep. Joe Webster, D-Collegeville, is pictured in the House chambers earlier this year. Webster is proposing legislation that would require online gaming outlets to send users a monthly notice showing how much they wagered each month.

A state lawmaker wants to require online gaming outlets to send users a monthly notice showing how much they have wagered.

Rep. Joe Webster, D-Collegeville, is circulating a co-sponsorship memorandum for legislation he is drafting that would mirror a requirement the Australian government implemented in July 2022.

"According to a University of Sydney study, the statements helped the most severe problem gamblers make a positive change in their behavior," Webster wrote in his co-sponsorship memorandum. "It is for these reasons that I am introducing legislation to require licensed online gaming companies that operate in Pennsylvania to provide monthly activity statements to users. Problem gambling negatively affects families across the Commonwealth, and this consumer protection measure will provide important transparency to make it easier for Pennsylvanians to know what they are wagering."

Sports wagering and online fantasy sports are both big business in Pennsylvania, though sports wagering decreased in August from the same month in 2025. According to state Gaming Control Board reports, the August 2026 total sports wagering handle was $498,503,057, or 3.29% lower than the August 2025 handle of $515,446,826. The taxable revenue figure for August 2026 was $39,361,628, or 19.92% lower when compared to August 2025 when taxable revenue was $49,151,040. Fantasy contests revenue was $1,027,891 in August 2026, an increase of 54.63% over August 2025 when revenue was $664,758.Tax revenue collected from the fantasy contests in August 2026 was $154,184.

In 2025, full-year revenue from sports wagering was $602,495,582, a 17.97% increase in revenue when compared to the $510,716,858 generated in 2024. Sports wagering handle, the amount wagered through both retail and online, was $8.8 billion, a 5.19% increase over 2024's handle of $8.4 billion. Revenue in 2025 from fantasy contests was $19,166,770, a 2.67% increase in revenue when compared to the $18,668,580 generated in 2024.

"The recent rise in online gaming activity has coincided with an increase in self-reported problem gambling," Webster said in his co-sponsorship memorandum. "Calls and texts to the Pennsylvania problem gambler hotline related to online or sports betting increased more than 300 percent from 2021 to 2024. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, in Fiscal Year 2024/25, 37 percent of all calls to the problem gambler hotline were related to internet gaming."

Webster isn’t alone. Both houses of the New York state Legislature approved legislation this year (A.10329/S.9415) that would require mobile sports betting operators to provide standardized monthly account activity statements that summarize betting activity and responsible gaming information. The statement must include total deposits, total wagers, winnings and losses, net gain or loss, number of wagers placed, total time logged into the platform, promotional credits used, and access to lifetime wagering history. The statement must also prominently display responsible gaming resources, including information on voluntary self-exclusion and problem gambling services.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has yet to sign the bill, though she has until Dec. 31 to do so.

"Mobile sports wagering has expanded at an unprecedented pace in New York, placing a full-scale gambling platform in every pocket. While the industry generates substantial state revenue, data is showing a troubling pattern of problem gambling, as this new digital structure facilitates more impulsive and frequent wagering activity by New Yorkers. Consumers do not automatically receive a clear and consolidated picture of their total wins and losses, time spent gambling, or reliance on promotional credits," said N.Y. Sen. Joseph Addabbo, D-Woodhaven and chairman of the New York Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering. "Unlike traditional financial markets, where monthly statements are a basic consumer protection standard, sports bettors must currently piece together fragmented transaction histories to understand the totality of their betting behavior. This lack of concise transparency disproportionately affects individuals vulnerable to gambling addiction, who may not recognize the scale of their activity in real time."

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